for everybody, really, but it gets really fatal. [ siren wails ] >> every 10 minutes, someone in the u.s. is rushed to the emergency room with a severe allergic reaction. what's more, food allergies are becoming more common. peanut allergies alone have tripled since our parents were kids. >> i have a friend who's allergic to almonds. >> my friends are allergic to nuts, berries, and milk. >> my best friend is allergic to peanuts. >> one of my friends, she's allergic to peanuts. [ mid-tempo piano music playing ] >> unfortunately, many people don't realize just how serious food allergies can be. heather had to educate her friends and classmates and even a teacher who was using peanut candy for a science lesson. >> and she said, "how allergic are you?" i said, "i can't be in the room if we're doing this experiment." and she dismissed me from class, and that prevented my learning. some teachers, you know, really help me out, and some teachers don't understand it. >> heather spoke about her condition at a conference in washington, d.c. she was invited by f.a.a.n., the food allergy and anaphyla